1986 German Grand Prix
27 July |officialname = XLVIII AvD-Großer Preis von Deutschland |circuit = Hockenheimring |location = Hockenheim, West Germany |circuittype = Permanent racing facility |lapdistance = 6.797 |laps = 44 |distance = 299.068 |pole = Keke Rosberg |polenation = FIN |poleteam = |poletime = 1:42.013 |fastestlap = 1:46.604 |fastestlapdriver = Gerhard Berger |fastestlapnation = AUT |fastestlapteam = |fastestlapnumber = 35 |winner = Nelson Piquet |winnernation = BRA-1968 |winnerteam = |second = Ayrton Senna |secondnation = BRA-1968 |secondteam = |third = Nigel Mansell |thirdnation = GBR |thirdteam = |scheduledlaps = 45 }} The 1986 German Grand Prix, otherwise known as the XLVIII AvD-Großer Preis von Deutschland, was the tenth round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Hockenheimring in West Germany on the 27 July 1986.'German GP, 1986', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2015), http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr430.html, (Accessed 29/03/2019) The race, which was heralded by a series of announcements regarding the campaign, would see Nelson Piquet claim victory for . The big news ahead of the race was the announcement by World Champion Keke Rosberg that he would be retiring at the end of the season, the Finn having become disillusion with the recent run of huge, life threatening accidents. , meanwhile, would reveal that they would be taking Honda engines for 1987, becoming the de facto factory team for the Japanese manufacturer as they hired Satoru Nakajima to partner Ayrton Senna. Qualifying would see Rosberg sweep to pole ahead of teammate Alain Prost, the two s having received upgraded turbochargers ahead of the race. Best of the rest would be Senna ahead of Gerhard Berger, while Championship leader Nigel Mansell would start from sixth behind Piquet. Senna would blitz the start of the race to claim the lead, with Berger following the Lotus past the two McLaren-TAG Porsches to grab second. Indeed, it was a miserable start for Prost as he also slipped behind Piquet, while Stefan Johansson was pitched into a spin by Philippe Alliot, taking Teo Fabi out as he went. Rosberg proved to be the man to watch during the early laps, with the Finn battling his way back into the lead of the race, with Piquet eventually following him through. Berger, meanwhile, would have to pit early with an engine issue, while Piquet duly claimed the lead from Rosberg when the Brit's tyres began to fade. Indeed, Mansell would continue to struggle with handling issues, and duly slipped down to sixth before the pit window opened. He and Piquet duly opted to switch to a two stop strategy, with the Brazilian duly overtaking the two McLarens twice as he pushed for victory. With a lap to go it was Piquet leading from Rosberg, Prost, Senna and Mansell, although that would be drastically revised when both McLarens coasted to a stop in the stadium section. Indeed, as Piquet charged across the finish line to claim victory, Senna and Mansell would flash past the stricken pair and duly cruised home to complete the podium. René Arnoux would also pass the stranded duo, being the last man on the lead lap, leaving Rosberg and Prost in fifth and sixth. The results meant that Mansell extended his lead in the Championship, opening his advantage out to seven points over Prost. Williams-Honda would likewise extend their lead in the Constructors Championship, ending the weekend 26 clear of McLaren-TAG Porsche. Background Victory on home soil had propelled Nigel Mansell to the top of the Championship fight at Brands Hatch, with the Brit having established a four point lead. Alain Prost, former leader, had slipped to second, having ended the British weekend on 43, while the third man in the truel, Ayrton Senna, had slipped eleven points behind after failing to score again. Indeed, the Brazilian's miserable recent form had allowed Nelson Piquet to draw him in, although the #6 Williams pilot was still seven off the back of his compatriot. In the Constructors Championship it had been a very productive day for on home soil, with the Anglo-Japanese squad ending the afternoon on 76 points. They hence moved sixteen clear of closest challengers , before a huge 24 point gap back to in third. Indeed, with seven races to go it seemed as if Lotus were out of the fight, and were instead being caught, albeit slowly, by in fourth. Entry list The full entry list for the is outlined below: Practice Overview Qualifying Friday Qualifying Saturday Qualifying Qualifying Results The full qualifying results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session. *'Bold' indicates a driver's best/qualifying time. Grid Race Report Results The full results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car. ** Rosberg, Prost and Johansson were still classified despite retiring as they had completed 90% of the race distance. Milestones * Alessandro Nannini and Johnny Dumfries entered their tenth Grand Prix.'1986 German GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2015), http://www.chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=1986&gp=German%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 29/03/2019) * Keke Rosberg recorded his fifth and final pole position.'10. Germany 1986', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1986/allemagne.aspx, (Accessed 29/03/2019) * secured their 25th pole start as a constructor. ** Also the seventh and final pole for a engine. * Fifteenth career victory for Nelson Piquet. ** Also the 25th win for a car using #6 as its race number. * 28th win for as a constructor. ** Thirteenth win for as an engine supplier. * Maiden fastest lap recorded by Gerhard Berger. ** Also the first fastest lap recorded by a chassis. ** Tenth fastest lap set using Castrol lubricants. Standings Nigel Mansell extended his lead in the Championship as a result of the German Grand Prix, the Brit moving seven clear of second placed Alain Prost. Ayrton Senna, meanwhile, had managed to close the gap back to the duo, ending the weekend just two behind Prost, while Nelson Piquet had also dragged himself back into contention. Indeed the double World Champion was now just thirteen off the lead with six races to go, with dropped scores likely to play a part in the Championship. Likewise, it had been another strong day for , for the Anglo-Japanese squad had moved opened out their lead to 26 points. were therefore still in the hunt for the title, although their first major error of the season in miscalculating their fuel use in Germany may have proved a fatal one for their ambitions. , meanwhile, had lost further ground in third, but had inched slightly closer to the second placed Anglo-German alliance. Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown. References Images and Videos: * References: Category:Grand Prix articles Category:Grand Prix articles Category:German Grand Prix Category:1986 Grands Prix